Black Hearts: War-World
"After a failed mission, a Velconi SpecOps becomes the centre of an extremely dangerous plot, and must question his loyalties to save the galaxy." ~Synopsis Black Hearts: War-World is a graphic novel released by Q Games that takes place right before and during the events of Black Hearts: The Original Game. It deals with the story of Velconi SpecOps marine Captain Riaz Tarig Sevel, and is an important component of the Calignosus story arc. Foreword The year is 3012. The Earth is split into two factions, the Velconum Empire and the Irin Republic. The Velconi are powerful conquerors, while the Irini are more peaceful. They had been warring for years, but a weak treaty stops total war from occuring. '' ''Secretly, the Velconi war machine forges an army to aid in their conquest of the Irini and more. The WAR-WORLDS, entire planets transformed into large factories of war, are their backbone. The Velconi have stumbled upon a mysterious sector full of psychic, sentient aliens. In their quest to build more War-Worlds, they unknowingly reawaken an ancient threat that affects the galaxy and the universe... Plot The opening scene shows the VIS Terror, a Velconi mothership, in space. Inside, Lord Steadfast and General West are discussing converting Karay, a jungle planet in the Erdeon sector (Atlantean for malevolence), into a War-World to support Operation Atlantis. On Karay, Lord Steadfast orders Captains Riaz and Kal, two of the best SpecOps planetside, to wipe out all Erdeonite resistance in the perimeter. As the two ride down a jungle path, they are ambushed by Erdeonite warriors, which cause them to barrell off the road and into a river. Riaz regains conciousness and makes his way onto the shore, looking for Kal. He fights off some Erdeonites before he sees them taking Kal prisoner. He follows them to a strange temple in a forest clearing. There, he meets the Yulveru, the apparent ruler of the Erdeonites. Lord Steadfast and some marines arrive as reinforcements, shooting the Yulveru. Lord Steadfast orders Riaz to take possession of a mysterious orb located on the top of the Yulveru's staff. The group fights their way out of the temple, and Lord Steadfast is killed by a spear. Velconi bombers arrive and destroy the temple, but accidentally fire near Riaz, knocking him unconcious. He awakens to Dr. Krakoff and his Medical Assistance Droid (MAD) VN-116 by his bedside back at Karay base. The MAD is shown to have Sentient software, which Dr. Krakoff recieved from the Emperor's Blade. While Riaz sleeps during the night, an Erdeonite assassin tries to attack him, but he awakens and defeats him. He sees Kal, donning strange armour like that of the Yulveru, enter his room. Kal explains that he was taken to the old Yulveru, who was dying, and he was selected to be the Guardian of the Orb. Kal was then exiled to think of the decision, but when he returned to accept, the temple was destroyed and the Orb gone. He then demands the Orb from Riaz, telling him that there is a power in the Orb that cannot fall into Velconi hands. Sentient then awakens and activates his emergency machine guns, injuring Kal and forcing him to run off into the night. Meanwhile, a messenger informs General Yi (the Velconi command on Karay) that the Velconi fleet has arrived, and the mighty Velconi army arrives to massacre the Erdeonites. General Yi then orders the systematic destruction of Karay's jungles. Kal, limping in the jungle, is thrown by a mysterious spear-donning figure, which reveals itself to be a "Seeker". The Seeker demands Kal to hand over the Orb, but Kal uses his powers as Yulveru to telepathically conceal the location of the Orb from the Seeker, who then kills him. In the morning, a messenger tells Captain Riaz that Kal's dead body was found in the jungle, killed by an unknown weapon. Riaz realizes that the Orb must be important, and decides he cannot trust General Yi, as Kal had stated the Velconi cannot have the Orb. He leaves the base with Sentient, but is stopped by a Titan outside, which tells Riaz to come with him. The two fly to Alpha Station, a floating citadel in the Fringe-worlds that does not exist on any records. Inside (which is full of droids and robots), he meets the Unknown. The Unknown explains to him that his only purpose is to destroy the Orbs. He tells Riaz that many ages ago, a comet hit the Earth in the shape of an orb. A cult of people grew from its powers, claiming they could animate the dead, use psychic powers, and destroy anything. However, the ancient Atlanteans destroyed the Orb and crushed the cult. The cult, however, survives, thriving in the shadows. But humanity was not the only ones that an Orb was sent to. The Erdeonites recieved one, and, knowing its dangers, hid it with a Yulveru. The Unknown's creator studied the Orbs, and visited the Yulveru. Knowing that one day the Velconi and the cult would arrive looking for the other Orb, he created the Unknown. The Unknown reveals that Sentient is his trusted spy, and led Riaz (along with the Orb) to him. He explains that the only way to destroy the Orb is through a High Energy Disintegration Chamber (HEDC) located on Velconi War-Worlds. The Unknown then sends Riaz to go back to Karay under Sentient's protection. This later fails, as they are ambushed by pirates led to them by Sentient's tracking beacon. Riaz fights his way through the pirate ship and assumes command of it, but when he reaches Karay, Velconi ship's fire on him thinking that he is a pirate. General Yi learns that pirates have been shot down in the jungle, and suspects that something strange is going on, as pirates would never roam this far. The crash causes the Orb to glow, and the Seeker senses its presence. Riaz then meets a friend of his, Sergeant Ibrahimov, who is shot by Sentient after he searches Riaz and reports back to his radio, "Sir, I've found an Orb. Is it the one you wanted?" Riaz and Sentient then steal his jeep, driving it through the night. Sentient then tells Riaz of an underground shortcut to the HEDC facility, which Riaz reluctantly agrees to walk into. Inside the cave, Riaz is ambushed by the rarest of all Karayan species, Night-Needlers. After causing a cave-in to block the Night-Needlers, Riaz meets Epsilon, the head of SpecOps on Karay, sent to kill him by General Yi. Riaz and Sentient manage to defeat him by using claymores (???). When the two finally make it to the HEDC facility, Sentient distracts the guards by killing them, and Riaz makes his way inside. He throws the Orb in the chamber, and begins setting up a disintegration run, when he is shot from behind. Riaz turns around, and General Yi is seen holding the pistol, accompanied by two marines. General Yi reveals he has learned all about the Orb through his spy...Sentient. Sentient then informs General Yi that he has jammed the HEDC and that it would be extremely foolish of Riaz to continue with the disintegration (considering that it could blow the entire facility up). Suddenly, the Seeker appears, killing the marines and demanding the Orb. While General Yi tries shooting the Seeker, Riaz continues with the disintegration. As the Seeker throws General Yi's body away and rushes towards Riaz, he activates the HEDC. Sentient makes a last attempt to stop the cycle, but, after an "Oops.", runs it in full power. A massive explosion consumes the scene. After, the Seeker is seen wandering the charred wasteland, with remorse that he has "failed". But then he sees something glinting in the sun, a Shard of the Orb. He then mentions "With this power, the Calignosus will rise again..." Meanwhile, there is a shot of the Velconi fleet leaving Karay. The captions explain that General West has ordered the Velconi to leave the sector, as they are needed elsewhere (presumably the war with the Irini). The Erdeonites, devastated and without the Orb, are hopeless and struggle to survive. The final scene shows that "nothing can save them from what crawls out of the the abyss", and a massive ship is shown arriving. An epilogue scene is shown at the end, where the Unknown speaks to his droid general, Crisis, telling him that the Orb was not completely destroyed. Sentient then appears, shocked to hear the news. The Unknown and Crisis are surprised to see he is alive, and Sentient explains that he found another MAD skeleton. He expresses distress, saying "after my complex plan of pretending to spy for the Velconi, the Orb was supposed to have been destroyed!" The Unknown then states the their armies must be mobilized. Suddenly, Riaz appears, offering assistance. He says the Orb gave him powers he doesn't fully understand, but he is alive. Sentient then utters that there is still hope, and asks Riaz to come with him, to meet some of his friends. Trivia *Black Hearts: War-Worlds is the first graphic novel released that was about the Black Hearts series *Captain Riaz features in Cataclysm as a powerful, magic-using soldier *War-Worlds is the first Black Hearts media form where a Velconi is the main protagonist Category:Comics